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What does it mean to be a veteran? For Georgia State General Mike McGuinn III, who served in three wars, it is “a matter of great pride.”

“Never planned on it being a full-time career, but I look back on it, I served my country through three wars, survived, made some tremendous friends, met some tremendous people along the way,” he said.

McGuinn said that being a soldier nowadays is totally different from how he remembers it during World War II, “when you basically, you just learned to carry a rifle and shoot.”

“Today’s army is highly technical, even in the non-combat branches. It’s a good training ground, nowadays, for someone — a young person — who hadn’t figured out what they want to do in their life,” he said. “Little short tour, a couple years in the military, and you’ll get trained in some skills, and you’ll find your way.”